Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-05-05
THE DAYS GONE BY.


Within, glowing fire and before it, in
twin arm chairs, Lenore and /.
How many evening We have spent SO
together. How many various fires we
have watched crackle and burn and
drawn closer to clasp hands over our con-
fidences!
Lenore and I! Through all the stretch
of backward years from our merry child
hood, through the dreaming days divid
ing that from womanhood, and through
the later weary burden of our lives, I
have no recollection that does not bring
with it, Lenore. We had no joys apart,
no sorrows that we did not share. Lenore
Is to me, husband children-home. /
watch for Ter letters, treasure her keep
sakes, as / might have done for some one
else had life been kind to me.
1t is my birthday - that is why l have
Lenore tonight; for, though the time
for making much of birthday greetings
is far behind me, we always spend them
together. Lenore is rich and so she
comes to me, and / wait for the day, hold
her hands in mine and l think that both
our eyes are dim when we thus meet. /
have no one bat her "a poor old maid,
what do know of happy household ties
of lovers vows, the clasp of welded
hands or the clinging touch of baby fin
gers. l live alone with, behind me, an
old, old grave, within which lies all that
mig hit have made my life like other wo
mems; before me-Lenore.
Lenore is speaking and / fold my
hands to listen. She is much oleverer
than /, 1 love to hear her talk
"After all, Helen, they are very poor
things, these memories. Who cares tor
sit down and grope about into an unsat-
isfactory past and bring into the light of
present satirical years the imbecilities of
youth and all it's accompanying shame
facedness. Those people who are for
ever talking of the days gone by ans
bore one to death with their do you re-
members and have you forgettens,'
are just the people who ask your age,
who will take no evasion but press the
question until the full number of wretch
ed, cringing years behind you has been
dragged into public view.
'The world is full of them! OF those
people who cannot let the weary bygones
rest, but force out the parade before an
uasy npathetic public the sacred tender
ness and faded sentimentalities of a van
ished past, Even if the wounds are
healed and the scars fading with the hur
rying years, it IS not pleasant to have
them barred by curious hands, however
well meaning. Something has happened
to put me out of temper, you think,
Helenf Yes, I met to-day one of the peo-
pie from Vhom 1t is impossible to escape.
She elung to me ard prodded me with her
why and where and when, until I
prayed to die; even more-until 1 regret
ted that haG ever lived"
"What nonsensew said [ sturdily.
"That is not like you, Lenore. like
to talk of it myself. And besides we
have so much past, much more than our
future probably will be-"
Lenore holds up her hands in exagger-
ated horror and shakes her dark head dis
mally.
To me, Lenore is still young and very
lovely and do not think you would be-
lieye that more than twenty-five years
have passed over her stately head. She
leans back in her chair and stares absent.
ly at the ceiling while her slender glitter
ing fingers beat q tattoo on each other.
She Is pale and wearylooking, the cor
ners of her mouth droop a little, and as I
look at her think the two straight lines
between her eyes deeper-much deeper I
hnd-than they were a year ago. Now
that sit quite still and look at her /
find that the past year has left its traces
more distinct and numerous than 1 can
understand. / stare at her until she
drops her eyes to mine and smiles sntiri-
cally.
''Are you thinking how old am look
ing, Helen? There! don't perjure your
self, see you were. Your dear, honest
face was never good at concealing things.
r l<~, ,l1n %Ao4 Loo IL II
not remember when I was anything else.
Well'--as I shake my head at her-"Per-
haps can, but oh, how long, how very
long ago it seems. What is life worth
anyhow, dear? There is not much good
in it, that 1 can find nowadays. / some
tsmes sit and think and think-although
hate it-until it seems as if the old days
must come back or send some little
CLEAN from them, to me-but they never
can. Why it was all different in those
DAYS, Helen. The sky was ever so much
bluer and the sunshine ever so much
brighter. Had you noticed it?"
/ nod silently and she goes on.
''Why HeIeni I'll tell you-I wouldn't
tell anyone else-that 1 would give all the
rest of my life for one Of those old days;
just one long, beautiful, day; just for 'the
tender grace of day that is deadr Every
ones life is more or less failure, isn't it
it, Helen Mine more than yours, for my
lines have been cast in q hurry and rush
of the world, while in this quiet little
place, you have been quite content and
happy"
'sHave II" A mist came over my eyes
aud in it see that face that is so often
with me-that grave so long, SO deep, so
wide, that Ii has filled the world for me.
In an instant IGNORES arms were about
me and her face pressed to mine. She
holds me close, with not word, but
know that she has remembered, and we
kiss each other silently.
But you are happy Lenore?"I say at
last. "Of counsel" with a laugh. my dia.
monds are bigger, my satins heavier than
MOST women possess. I wrap myself in
my sealskins and dash behind my fractI-
Gus grays to see other women turn and
envy me. Could any one desire more?"
/ think of heI elderly HUSBAND and look
at her couriously, but her eyes are bright
and she laughs.
ST don't know" say beautifully, shut I
fancy that sometimes certain memory